These are handy for a lot of things----priming a chev engine while it is in the car is first on my list. Drilling thru 2x4s for wiring during the inevitable room or house remodel is another. and also drilling to remove broken exhaust manifold bolts with the engine in the car.

Any one of these projects will pay for the drill at the first use
I prefer a 1/2" drill

Bryan

WOW Dave that really looks good

Nice firewall Dave!

Thanks. It was probably somewhat of a wasted effort to do all the body work and get it looking good and then cover it up but I couldn't stand knowing that under the stainless was a mess. I'm going to grind down the welds that are showing on the wire tube today, paint the metal on the front that holds the latch, and shackles. I hope to sandblast the steering arms too. Looks like the front end will be going back together today. My brother also made me up a radiator cover. I have an aftermarket aluminum radiator and the cover has a notch in it for the cap. You can see it in the picture also. I can't wait to get the motor back in it.

I have the chance to get a rearend out of a 67 chevelle. Does any one know if this will fit width wise under my 55 2nd series Chevy truck?
James

If you check this site you should be able to get its width. Hope this helps.
http://carnut.com/specs/frear.html
Kim

I'm getting ready to put in my upgraded tie rod and ends. It looks like the old ball joints have to be pressed out and when I do, the hole they leave where the new tie rods bolt in is going to be way bigger than the tie rod ends bolt. I know a few of you have done this upgrade. What is the correct way to install these new tie rod ends?

I'm also putting in new king pins and bushings for the first time. Any special instructions or tips would be appreciated.

Dave

Thanks Kim57 according to the chart I should be able to fit that rear end.

Dave,
I did all that years ago on my truck. As I recall it seemed to be straight forward. I don't recall having to have the ball joints pressed out. As far as the kingpins went they were pretty easy also. Do you have the shop manual for the truck? That is what I use to reference when I work on mine. Also the factory assembly manual really helps in that is shows every component broke down.

Check your private messages. I sent you some info.

I found this alos..it might help.
http://chevy.tocmp.com/year.htm

Go to www.BrothersTrucks.com They have a tech article on this with lots of pictures.I found it while doing some research.

gator, i tried por's primer a few years ago and didn't like it at all. very thick and hard to work with. when i tried to thin it, it just wouldn't come to a good consistency. and to beat all - in about a month the area i was able to prime and paint peeled off right down to the por. i ended up sanding the peeled areas and repainting them with regular primer and then paint. that did the trick.

i think priming it with regular primer when the por is tacky gives the best result.

also, there is a company called durabak that i believe makes a similar product that has many colors.

Ray,
Sounds like I did the right thing...and saved some money also. I just went and tried to scratch off the primer I sprayed over the por-15 I scuffed up. I had one small spot that was not covered by primer due to the wire it was hanging on. I thought I would be able to scrap off some primer here....nope not a bit. So now we know if por-15 is dry scuff it up with 220 and your good to go!

Hey, Gator

I put a 67 Chevelle 10 bolt in my 57 Chevy pickup , it fits great. I also run 15 x 8 1/2 American mags on the rear w/ 275-60 15 tires, they are close but they fit.
One more thing if your truck is lowered you should cut off the round ears for the rubber bushings where the upper trailing arms went for the Chevelle,( in the center above the cover).
The same rearend from a 68 to 72 Chevelle is one inch wider.
Gene

Thanks Gene...I am going to look at the rear end on Friday. I got another lead on another rear end. So I hopefully have one by Friday night. We'll see. How hard is it to rebuild a rear end and is it expensive? I do most all my own work so I won't think rebuilding a rear end would be too difficult....I am familiar with the process.

I used a 78 GMC 4x4 rearend.It cost me 20 bucks for the 2 inch wide spring perches and the Richmond Gear 4.56 ring and pinion set was about $300.The pinion set up tool was $89.I also put in a power trax locker for $450.I had never done one before so I took my time and checked and rechecked everything.It was not hard.I like the power trax locker but I can feel it lock and unlock in corners,it takes some getting used to.I was not planning on rebuilding the rear when I bought the power trax locker and they install in place of the spider gears.A Currie limited slip carrier is only $380 and what I would have bought if I had decided on 4.56 gears before buying the locker.While I was into the rearend I put in new axle bearings and seals for peace of mind in knowing it was all new.In this post page 5 post 66 I posted more details on the installation